More Human Than Human

More Human Than Human Chapter One

CHAPTER TWO

2084

My name is Noel, Noel Peterson. I’m 26 years old. 

My mother loved Christmas more than anything in the world. Our house always looked magical and festive during those times. We were very rich. But I don’t have fond memories of the holidays. My stepfather had gotten my mother pregnant with my brother James, and he didn’t want to be married to her, but he had wed her out of a sense of duty and obligation. He came from a family that was just that way. But he was angry about it, and he sure as hell didn’t like me. He thought I was spoiled. My mother always wanted to give my brother and me the best Christmases, since she had grown up poor, like my stepdad. But he thought the other way around; he believed we shouldn’t have such grand Christmases with a multitude of toys under the tree. So he drank and most of the time would shut himself up in his room during the holidays, unless he emerged; and if he was present, he would most likely end up in one of his customary rages. 

I remember how terrifying those rages were. You never knew when they were coming, and they happened over seemingly nothing… All of a sudden he’d come flying at me out of nowhere, grabbing me up by my leg and hitting me, my little nightgown falling down across my face… It was purely terrifying. So no, I don’t have the fondest memories of Christmas at all.

That’s why this time now is sadly nostalgic for me. The city is twinkling with festive lights and the streets are filled with cheerful, animated people… There is glistening snow on the ground. But behind the glimmer and bling is a strange, sad emptiness I feel.

But I swallow the sadness and the emptiness I feel during the holidays. I happen to be on my first date with a man I really like, and I’m not sure how it’s going.

“Care for more wine?” Charlie asks with a charming smile. 

“Yes, please,” I respond.

My mom was a real estate agent when she met my stepdad, who was a residential home builder. But his wealth and success ensured she didn’t have to work for the rest of her life. And though their marriage was a most decidedly unhappy one, she was free financially. She took an interest in interior design for my stepfather’s model homes, and soon acquired her own interior design company. She’s gone now, but I still work for the company doing interior design. I met Charlie, a builder himself, on a home show three days ago.

“You did a great job for the homes on the show,” he says. “You’ve really got talent, Noel.”

“Thanks. Well, your homes are magnificent,” I say in return.

I stare at Charlie over my glass. Any woman would be attracted to him. Dark hair, tall, a handsome face with a touch of ruggedness. Women in the restaurant are staring at him. Even our waitress seems to be mildly flirting with him. I admit to myself that I already want to go to bed with him. It’s been a long time since I’ve been with someone.

Suddenly, I feel that old insecurity brewing up within me again. I’ve always felt plain. I have long, mousy-brown colored hair, and I haven’t ditched the glasses I started wearing in my teens. I could have surgery on my eyes, but I haven’t yet. I guess I’ve never forgotten the gawky, awkward adolescent I was.

Our conversation continues, but it feels stilted. I’ve always been painfully shy as well. I look at a beautiful blond woman at another table laughing and talking animatedly, and I wish that was me. I just can’t think of what to talk about with Charlie.

To my horror, Charlie says so. “You’re not much of a talker, are you?” he asks with a laugh.

I push my glasses further up my nose. “Um, I have to admit that I guess I’ve always been a rather shy, introverted person. This whole time I’ve been pretty nervous and trying to think of things to say to you. I guess I’m failing miserably,” I say on a self-deprecating laugh.

“Don’t worry about it, Noel. Listen, I hate to cut our evening short, but I have some business to attend to this evening. I’ve got to go, but I’ll call you, Noel. I’ll take care of the bill.” He’s rising in his chair, and I feel a sudden, sinking feeling, like I really have failed tonight.

And with a quick kiss to my forehead, he leaves the restaurant.

***

I have a best friend, my only friend. Sandra. She’s been my best friend since high school. It was a strange friendship. I was a nerdy student, into books and dreaming, but she was a popular cheerleader. Still, we sat beside each other in English class, and a friendship struck, and stuck throughout the years. She knows all about me, and I can tell her anything. 

I call her up on the giant screen. Her beautiful face is animated. She has long blond hair and the palest blue eyes ever.

“So, how did the date go?” she says excitedly.

“I’m not sure, Sandra. Oh, I was so nervous, and I couldn’t think of things to talk to Charlie about! I felt just like I did when I was in high school. All tongue-tied. And he ended the date early. He said he had some business to attend to.”

“Well… Did he say he would call you?” she asks.

“Yes, but oh my God, I feel like I could die!”

“Hey, Noe. He said he’d call you. I bet he will.”

“I hope so. Guess what, too? I’m so horny! Charlie made me feel that way.”

“Go get your vibrator and have some fun!” she says with a giggle. “Then go get some sleep. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Okay, thanks, Sandra. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Noe.”

But I’m not in the mood to masturbate, and I can’t sleep. I’m tossing and turning. I’m miserable, and I’m horny. Too horny to take care of my own needs. And Charlie has awakened needs in me that have long gone unsatisfied. I need a man.

I put on my slippers and head into the living room. “Amy, turn on the TV.” My smart speaker obeys my command. I slink onto the couch, prepared to watch something mindless to help me forget my body’s need and hopefully doze off into oblivion. My cats Annie and Hope curl up at my feet.

That’s when the advertisement flashes across the giant screen. “Feeling bored and lonely?” a deep, sultry, sensuous female voice asks the audience. “Then come to Pleasure Incorporated. We specialize in the ultimate sensual experience for both male and female clientele. The utmost and most innovative of pleasure awaits you at our lush house of sexual paradise…” Scantily clad, sexy women and men grace the screen, titillating the audience with beckoning fingers and moans. Simply stated, Pleasure Incorporated promises the ultimate in carnal fulfillment.

I want to laugh at the sheer sordidness of the ad, but the need in my body is too great to ignore.

I make my decision. I’m going to try out this Pleasure Incorporated, and I’m going to do so tonight.